International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir
Founded | 2008 |
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Purpose | Investigation of Human right abuses in Jammu and Kashmir |
Area served | Jammu and Kashmir |
Key people | Parvez Imroz, Angana P. Chatterji, Gautam Navlakha and Zaheer-Ud-Din |
Website | www |
International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir (IPTK) is a People's Tribunal formed by Indian human rights activists for the purpose of probing
Background
Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir |
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Notes |
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1990 |
1991 |
1993 |
1995 |
1995 kidnapping of Western tourists in Kashmir |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
2002 |
|
2003 |
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2004 |
2006 |
2009 |
The Tribunal was first envisioned in 2006 when Parvez Imroz, a human rights activist, invited Angana Chatterji to Kashmir. From 2006–2008, Chatterji studied the Kashmir issue and interviewed the locals. Mallika Kaur, a scholar of Harvard Kennedy School, while explaining the need of the Tribunal, said that there was no such mechanism for investigating the human right abuses in this hypermilitarized region.[1]
The Tribunal's mandate does not include finding political solutions to resolve the Kashmir issue. Instead it includes recording and investigating crimes committed only in the part of Kashmir administered by India. According to Mallika Kaur the Tribunal did not include the Pakistani-administered Kashmir because it was set up by Indian citizens and access across the heavily guarded border is not possible. The Tribunal was also mandated to investigate how the violations of human rights by the militants intersect with those security forces.[1][3]
Findings
In December 2009 the International People's Tribunal released a report titled Buried Evidence.
In December 2012 IPTK along with Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons released a report Alleged Perpetrators – Stories of Impunity in Jammu and Kashmir, which alleged involvement of about 500 Indian Armed Forces officials in human rights abuses in Kashmir.[10][11] Those accused included three Brigadier rank officers of Indian Army.[12] The access to the official record available with the police along with interviewing the affected families helped in preparing the report, which took over two years to get completed.[11] The report that alleges that the perpetrators of crimes in Kashmir are decorated instead of prosecuted, analysed 214 cases of abuse and further mentions 8,000 forced disappearances and 70 killings.[10][13]
Activities
In 2008 the Tribunal officials came under attack in the valley allegedly from Indian security forces. Besides spying and harassment of the tribunal, grenades were hurled at Parvez Imroz's residence in Kashmir on 30 June.
Reception
The local people of the Kashmir valley welcomed the Tribunal and offered their help even when they were threatened. The people according to Imroz were content that this issue is being taken up internationally. The European Parliament supported the Tribunal by inviting them to testify before Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights at Brussels[16] and adopting a resolution on allegations of mass graves.[17] in 2008.[1]
See also
- Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir
- Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
- Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society
- Kashmir conflict
- Rape in Jammu and Kashmir
References
- ^ a b c d e Mallika Kaur Sarkaria (22 March 2009). "On trial: human rights in Kashmir". Kennedy School Review.[dead link]
- ^ "Conveners, Legal Counsel, and Liaison". kashmirprocess.org. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ "Premise and Objectives". www.kashmirprocess.org. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ Shujaat Bukhari (24 September 2011). "The SHRC report on Jammu and Kashmir's enforced disappearances and mass graves puts the State and Central governments on the spot". Frontline. 28 (20). Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Mass graves found in North Kashmir containing 2,900 unmarked bodies". The Hindu. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-8223517-9-5. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-1434164-7-0. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ "Kashmir mass grave sites mount, rights group says". Taipei Times. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ Women News Network (5 November 2012). "Kashmir women seek justice in cases of disappeared people". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Indian officials accused of Kashmir rights abuses". BBC News. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ a b Karen Diep (7 December 2012). "Report Alleges Abuse by Indian Officials in Kashmir". Impunity Watch. Syracuse University College of Law. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ Ahmed Ali Fayyaz (7 December 2012). "Top Army, police officials involved in human rights abuse in Kashmir". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ Ameer Tarin (8 April 2013). "Kashmir's tempestuous human right abuses". The Canadian – Agora Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-9738955-5-1.
- ^ "Angana Chatterji and Kashmir Tribunal at UK Parliament". California Institute of Integral Studies Newsletter. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ "17 July 2008: European Parliament Hearing on Kashmir". kashmirprocess.org. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ "Texts adopted – Thursday, 10 July 2008 – Kashmir – P6_TA(2008)0366". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.